


for all the places i have been i'm no place without you

by lesbianchloeprice



Category: The Last of Us (Video Games)
Genre: Domestic Fluff, Don't Examine This Too Closely, Everything is Beautiful and Nothing Hurts, F/F, Family Feels, Fluff and Humor, Post-Canon, and jj is a lil spitfire, and pretend that going on vacation wouldn't be insanely dangerous, ellie and dina are the best parents, listen i'm gonna need you to live in that suspension of disbelief for a little bit, this is nothing but cuteness and fluff and happy feelings okay
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-30
Updated: 2020-12-30
Packaged: 2021-03-10 21:40:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,289
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28434051
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lesbianchloeprice/pseuds/lesbianchloeprice
Summary: The kitchen timer went off with a ding, and Dina smirked at Ellie, giving her an affectionate pat on the cheek before moving to check on the food. After taking a quick peek and deciding that it still wasn’t quite done, Dina reset the timer, turning around to level a gaze at her wife. “Okay, I’ll bite. Let’s say that I agree to this hypothetical vacation. How the hell do you plan on getting all of us, our five-year-old son included, to a beach? We’re landlocked here, if you didn’t know.”A slow grin crept its way across Ellie’s face, almost like she’d been waiting for Dina to ask that very question. “Don’t worry, babe. I have a plan.”Oregon coast, here they come.OREllie takes her family on the best freaking vacation the apocalypse has ever seen, clickers be damned.
Relationships: Dina/Ellie (The Last of Us)
Comments: 10
Kudos: 45





	for all the places i have been i'm no place without you

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Skribbz](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Skribbz/gifts).



> So... Merry Christmas, Skribbz!! I hope you enjoy the story, because this was an absolute joy to write.
> 
> To everyone else: let's just pretend that driving 13 hours across state lines for a beach vacation isn't insanely dangerous. It'll make this a _much _more enjoyable read. As always, comments and kudos are endlessly appreciated, and I hope you have as much fun reading this as I did writing it <3__

“A vacation?” Dina deadpanned, leaning against the doorframe with arms crossed over her chest. “You can’t be serious.” 

Ellie grinned, pushing herself off from her spot against the kitchen counter and making her way towards her wife. “Oh, I am  _ deadly  _ serious.” 

Dina’s lips twitched up almost imperceptibly, trying and failing to hide her amusement. “Deadly serious, huh? Okay, wiseguy, and just where would we go?”

“Hmm,” Ellie mused, closing the distance between them. She rested her hands on Dina’s hips with a mischievous smile. “I was thinking, maybe… the beach?” 

“The beach.” 

“That’s right.” 

“You, Ellie Williams, want to go on a family vacation to the  _ beach.” _

Ellie scoffed in faux indignation. “And what is so surprising about that?” 

“Oh, I dunno,” Dina teased, wrapping her arms around Ellie’s midsection. “Maybe it’s the fact that you only ever wear jeans.” 

“Not true!”

“Or the fact that you always end up getting burnt to a crisp in the sun?” 

Ellie pouted. “That’s… an exaggeration.” 

The kitchen timer went off with a  _ ding,  _ and Dina smirked at Ellie, giving her an affectionate pat on the cheek before moving to check on the food. After taking a quick peek and deciding that it still wasn’t quite done, Dina reset the timer, turning around to level a gaze at her wife. “Okay, I’ll bite. Let’s say that I agree to this hypothetical vacation. How the hell do you plan on getting all of us, our five-year-old son included, to a  _ beach? _ We’re landlocked here, if you didn’t know.” 

A slow grin crept its way across Ellie’s face, almost like she’d been waiting for Dina to ask that very question. “Don’t worry, babe. I have a plan.” 

… 

The following week the pair found themselves standing on their porch, watching dust kick up in the distance as the shape grew closer and closer. When the RV made its way down their driveway, coming to a stop in their front yard, Dina pinched the bridge of her nose with her thumb and forefinger, sighing. Cat hopped out of the ancient vehicle with a wicked grin on her face, casually leaning against it. “A little birdy told me you folks needed a ride.” 

“How?” Dina asked incredulously, glancing from the vehicle, to Cat, to Ellie, and back again. “Do I even want to know how you managed to make this happen?” 

But Ellie wasn’t paying attention, her eyes lit up like a kid on Christmas, and Dina felt her exasperation turn into something more fond, unable to suppress a smile as she watched Ellie bounce up and down on the balls of her feet. “Ho-ly  _ shit,  _ Cat, it’s even better than you described!” __

Suddenly the screen door slammed open behind them, and both Ellie and Dina whirled around just in time to see JJ standing on the threshold, his mouth hanging ajar. “What. Is.  _ That.”  _ But before anyone could answer, he darted towards the RV as quick as a fox, barely stopping himself in time to not barrel straight into Cat’s legs. The woman ruffled his hair affectionately, but he didn’t even acknowledge her presence, his attention entirely devoted to the towering vehicle. “Mommy, Mama, it’s a car! Look!” 

“Oh, Spud, that right there is so much more than a car,” Ellie explained, beaming with excitement. “ _ That  _ is an  _ RV.”  _

“So cool,” JJ drawled, looking at the giant van in awe; and then, “What’s an RV?” 

“Well, RV stands for… uh, it stands for…” Ellie’s voice trailed off as she unsuccessfully tried to remember what the letters stood for, frowning. “It’s like… a van you can live in.” 

It was a simple explanation, but it was all JJ needed, an impressed look on his face. “Cool.” 

“You sure you want to go through with this?” Cat prodded, brows raised as Ellie approached. “I never thought I’d live to see the day  _ Ellie-Fucking-Williams  _ gets rid of her playstation.” 

“You’re  _ what?”  _ Dina asked, eyes wide. 

“Oh, she didn’t tell you? Ellie here decided to trade her good ol’ playstation for this beauty.” Cat slapped the side of the RV for emphasis, and JJ followed suit, copying her. 

“JJ,” Dina warned in her Special Mom Voice, and he pouted, crossing his arms. 

“But Cat did it!” 

“We’re getting off topic,” Cat amended, shooting a sly wink at JJ and making his petulant frown turn into a grin. “C’mon, Williams, hand it over, I don’t have all day.” 

With a heavy sigh, Ellie turned and moved to pick up the sealed cardboard box sitting just inside the house, looking a little wistful as she began to make her way towards Cat. Before she could pass her, Dina’s hand shot out, grabbing Ellie’s arm and stopping her. “Babe, you know you don’t have to do this, right?” 

But Ellie just smiled, shrugging her shoulders before handing Cat the box, who accepted it with excitement. “And we have a deal!” She tossed the keys to Ellie without warning, who just barely managed to catch them, fumbling a little. “Thank you kindly, ma’am,” Cat said in a fake southern drawl, dropping into an imaginary curtsy and making JJ giggle. 

Ellie and Dina shared a glance, rolling their eyes but smiling fondly. “Alright, you better get going if you wanna be back before the sun goes down. JJ, say goodbye to Cat,” Dina instructed, and JJ threw his arms around her legs, giving her a tight hug. The woman chuckled, ruffling his curls again. 

“See ya, squirt. Have fun on vacation.” Cat glanced up towards Ellie and Dina with an exaggerated grin. “But not too much fun, ladies. I know how you two get after a couple of drinks.” 

“Okay, that’s enough of that,” Ellie mumbled, resting a hand on JJ’s shoulder. He quickly detached himself from the other woman’s legs in favor of leaning into Ellie’s side, instantly mellowing in her presence. “Good _ bye,  _ Cat.” 

Cat raised one hand in surrender, the other still holding the box. “Alright, alright, I’ll get out of your hair. Thanks for the playstation, El.” With one last wink, Cat was off, meandering down their long drive with a skip in her step. Waiting for her at the end was a Jackson guy on a horse, who was ready to give her a ride home after she’d dropped off the vehicle. Wordlessly, they watched as the pair disappeared in the distance, the horse kicking dust up behind them until they were out of sight. 

Dina cleared her throat, and Ellie turned to her with a sheepish smile. “We don’t have consistent power out here anyway, and the farm keeps me so busy, not to mention this little dude...” she gestured towards their son, rambling. But Dina didn’t respond, just marched right over and took Ellie’s cheeks in her hands, planting a firm kiss right on her lips. Ellie’s eyes widened a fraction in surprise before letting herself sink into it, moving her free hand to ghost over Dina’s waist. JJ made dramatic gagging noises from beside them, his face wrinkled in disgust. 

“GROSS,” he shouted, wiggling away from Ellie and darting back inside the house, the screen door slamming behind him. Ellie grinned into their kiss, and Dina pulled back, chuckling. She stroked Ellie’s cheek affectionately. 

“I have the best, most thoughtful wife in the whole world.” 

“The whole world, huh?” Ellie repeated, her cheeks going red under Dina’s gaze. She rubbed the back of her neck bashfully. “It’s not that big of a big deal.” 

“Well, it is to me.” Dina smoothed a piece of hair behind Ellie’s ear, smiling softly. They leaned in for another kiss, but quickly pulled apart when they were interrupted by a loud bang coming from inside of the house, followed by a muffled  _ “I’m okay!,”  _ and Dina groaned. 

“Okay, let’s get inside before your son destroys our entire house.” 

Ellie scoffed, “Oh, so he’s  _ my  _ son now?” 

They turned to head back inside, holding hands loosely, and Dina smirked. “Only when he’s making a ruckus. He gets that from you.” 

...

“Road trip! Road trip! Road trip!” JJ had been chanting incessantly from the moment he woke up, marching back and forth across the house and banging on a toy drum. The sun had just barely peeked over the horizon, and Ellie was sitting face down at the kitchen table, breakfast only half finished. 

Dina on the other hand was ready and raring to go, having just loaded the last bag of supplies into the RV. She just came back inside, leaning against the wall and exhaling through puffed cheeks, when she glanced towards Ellie. “Hey, your eggs are gonna get cold.” When no response came, Dina rolled her eyes, walking closer and leaning on the table.  _ “ELLIE!”  _

That got her attention, the sudden disruption startling Ellie awake and making her bolt upright in her chair. “I’m up, I’m up!” 

Dina could barely hold back a laugh at Ellie’s flailing, covering her mouth with a hand. “Sure, babe. Now finish your breakfast, we’re losing daylight.” 

Ellie mumbled an unintelligible response under her breath, but picked up her fork and continued eating, jabbing at the food with more force than was probably necessary. JJ continued his march, and Dina couldn’t help but smile at his excitement, her chest filling with warmth. “You almost ready to go, Spud?” 

“Yes!” He nodded in affirmation, running and skidding to a stop in front of her. “Can I go in the RV now?” 

“Not yet, kiddo, I want you to go to the bathroom before we leave.” 

“Aw, but I don’t even hafta go!” JJ stuck his lower lip out in a dramatic pout, and Dina had a hard time not laughing at his show of obstinance. 

“Well, I want you to try anyway. Go on, JJ.” 

With a huff, the boy spun around on his heel and sulked towards the downstairs bathroom, making a show out of his displeasure by closing the door with a little more force than necessary. Ellie snorted from her spot at the table. 

“Damn, Mama, didn’t know you could be so mean.” 

Dina rolled her eyes, raising one eyebrow as she glared at her wife. “Keep it up and I’ll show you mean.”

“Is that a promise?” Ellie asked, wiggling her eyebrows suggestively, and Dina snorted out a laugh, covering her face with her right hand. 

“You think you’re so funny.”

“Hey, you’re the one who laughed.” With a satisfied smirk, Ellie stood up from the table, dirty plate in hand. “Thanks for breakfast, babe. Those eggs were im- _ peck _ -able.” 

Dina groaned at the pun, rubbing at her temples. “Oh, Lord.” 

“Thank you, thank you, I’ll be here all week.” Just as Ellie went to the kitchen to wash her dishes, the sound of a flush came from the bathroom, followed quickly by JJ, skipping out with a smile on his face. 

“I’m ready, Mama, let’s go!” He ran over and grabbed her by the hand, attempting to pull her towards the door. “Hurry up, hurry up!” 

“Whoa, easy tiger,” Dina chuckled, following along but stopping before they could leave. “You don’t wanna leave Mommy behind, right?”

JJ groaned dramatically, jumping up and down and shouting towards the kitchen, “Mommy, come  _ on,  _ the beach is  _ waiting  _ for us!” 

At the sound of JJ calling for her, Ellie poked her head out of the kitchen, eyes narrowed playfully. “Patience you must have, my young padawan. Coming, I am.” 

Her words seemed to have the desired effect, JJ stopping and tilting his head to the side, confused. “What?” 

“Mommy’s being a nerd, don’t worry about it,” Dina explained, running her fingers through his curls and glancing up at Ellie with a playful smile. 

Ellie put her hand over her heart in mock offense. “You wound me, Dina.” 

She shook her head, looking at the ceiling. “C’mon, drama queen. You ready to go?” 

“Yeah, Mommy, come on!” JJ chimed in, resuming his impatient jumping. 

“Alright, you two,” Ellie conceded affectionately, grabbing her backpack from its spot on the floor and slinging it over her shoulder. She paused in front of Dina and JJ, a grin slowly spreading across her face. “Who’s ready for a mother-trucking road trip?!” 

Dina sighed loudly in resignation at the same time JJ screamed  _ “MEEE”  _ at the top of his lungs, and Ellie chuckled, giving her wife a quick kiss on the cheek before heading outside. After getting JJ situated in his booster seat (much to his chagrin, but Dina was nothing if not a stickler for safety), she slid into the passenger seat, buckling her own seat belt. 

Ellie looked at her from her spot at the wheel, eyes sparkling with excitement, and Dina was suddenly overcome with joy, laughing breathily despite herself. “What’s so funny? Was it my im-peck-able joke? It can take a while to digest, I know, the humor is  _ very _ advanced.”

“You are such a dork.” But Dina’s voice was soft and her eyes were somehow softer, and she reached over to squeeze Ellie’s hand. “I love you, El.” 

“I love you too. We got everything? Are we ready to go?” 

Dina looked at the ceiling of the RV, quickly running through a mental checklist, before turning to Ellie with a decisive nod. “Ready.” 

“Ready!” JJ echoed excitedly from the back seat, and Ellie and Dina shared an affectionate glance before Ellie started the vehicle, the old RV slowly rumbling to life. 

“Ready,” Ellie repeated to herself, a little quieter, before pulling out of their yard and driving down their long driveway, finally hitting the open road. With a neatly folded Atlas in Dina’s lap, a loaded pistol holstered at her side, and her family beside her, Dina smiled. 

Oregon coast, here they come. 

**Author's Note:**

> find me on tumblr at martymulder


End file.
